A Free Gift

April 30, 2023

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Pastor Josh Parsons - North Shore

Romans 3:20-28 ESV

20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. 

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 



27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

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December 12, 2025
The Orchard Itasca shared the following testimony about how they are ministering at Forest View Nursing Home. A man named Christian is a resident at the Forest View Nursing Home where our people go to minister quarterly. He likely has some form of Parkinson’s Disease and because of this has lost most of the function in his hands and feet. Some of our people have visited with Christian on previous trips. At our July visit, a couple from our church Mike and Deb Marunde went to his room. Since it had been a few months since our last visit, they didn’t think he would remember them. However, when they introduced themselves, Christian looked up and said “Mike!” He remembered! He looked at Mike and said, “I miss you.”
September 5, 2025
David Althoff from The Orchard Barrington shared the following testimony about how he has seen God work in his life at his baptism. For most of my life, I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders. I believed in Jesus, but only in an intellectual way, shaped more by church tradition than by a personal relationship with Him. I thought my success, security, and happiness depended entirely on my own efforts. I worked tirelessly to provide for my family, to control outcomes, and to fix every challenge that came my way. Sin wasn’t something I thought about because I measured life by my own standards, not God’s.
August 5, 2025
Ninhursag Avakian from The Orchard North Shore shared the following testimony about how she has seen God work in her life by calling her to serve. I serve with the middle school girls and the young adults both at the North Shore campus and at the all church gatherings. I have been so blessed to be serving in all three ministries and have been able to grow in each role. With the middle school girls, I have been blessed to see a student give her life to the Lord and get the honor of walking alongside her in her journey with Christ as her leader.